As the Israeli Apartheid Wall rips through the fabric of Palestinian communities, it takes with it thousands of dunums of precious olive and citrus trees and fertile farming land. As of June 2003, some 102,320 trees had been uprooted in the Jenin, Tulkarem, and Qalqiliya districts while the ongoing construction of the Wall, at an ever rapid pace, can only ensure more wreckage. For Palestinians, who have become more dependent on agricultural resources and development since the Occupation has crushed labor economy, this land razing has a devastating impact on sustainability. Olive trees are incorporated into almost every aspect of Palestinian life – nurturing their bodies through oil and fruit, their skin through soap and healing and their spirit as the trees have existed in their families for countless years.
To add insult to injury, an illegal olive tree-selling industry had been established, whereas the bulldozer drivers and Israeli construction companies collaborated in uprooting trees for and under the pretense of the Wall in order to sell them on the Israeli market.
These images, taken between October 2002 and August 2003 from the West Bank regions of Tulkarem, Qalqiliya and Bethlehem, provide a glimpse into some of the destruction.
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